Bergsfjord was a fantastic stopping place, a lovely community with friendly welcoming people and lovely scenery. We made the most of our time there to follow some of the marked trails. We also made use of a BBQ and shelter which was tucked under a hill with a lake by its side and the noise of waterfalls running nearby. Nestled around the barbecue in the calm evening with merry dancers flickering in the sky we discussed just how lucky we were to be leading the life that we have chosen in Norway.
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| End of the road! Bergsfjord |
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| Northern lights in Bergsfjord |
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| One of the ferries which connects the smaller communities with no road links |
Spotting dolphins beside the boat we slowed down hoping they might stay close and we could have a good look, bringing the boat to a stop the dolphins seemed less keen to be near and so we moved on again, as we did the dolphins came closer than ever, literally playing around the bow, leading us along for several minutes, great company on route!
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| Dolphins, which have all proved camera shy, or perhaps we aren't quick enough with the camera |
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| Leading the way to Alta! |
Alta is the biggest city in Finnmark and has just short of 20000 people, the marina was set up by some boating enthusiasts and it is fairy central. We tied to the long pontoon on the more sheltered side, despite no bad weather forecast we didn't want a repeat of the uncomfortable stay in Engenes where fender watching can take away the enjoyment and option of leaving the boat. Now several days since a shower and having not braved an on deck shower with temperatures outside below the double figures we made a bee line for the boat club showers. The boat club was locked but with the help of a local we had access and got the much longed for showers, making socialising a little more pleasant (for everyone!)!
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| Eagle on the lookout for fish |
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| Towing a pontoon... I guess they can stop where ever they want! |
As we walked back to the boat from the shower block we were stopped by a man who had seen our boat at the marina and was interested to find out a bit about what we were doing. After speaking for 10 mins he invited us to his house for a cup of coffee and a slice of toast, overwhelmed again having just arrived in Alta and being treated with such kindness we gratefully accepted his generous offer. He gave us a quick tour by car of Alta, pointing out some of the interesting architecture including the Northern Lights Cathedral. Welcomed in to his house within moments his wife had put dinner on the table, we ate some of the nicest home caught fish we have ever tasted, if only one day we could learn to cook fish like that!
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| Altas' Northern Light Cathedral, light to resemble the northern lights |
Drinking coffee after dinner we mentioned that part of the reason we were in Alta was to pick up our heater, dubious whether or not the shop would be open the following morning being a Saturday, within minutes he was on the phone to the owner to find out opening hours and if our heater had already arrived. The heater was indeed in store, unfortunately the shop owner was not, in fact he was in Finland! To make matters worse he was in Finland for a further two weeks. The owner provided a number for someone who might be able to open up the store and our host didn't hesitate in calling him for us, a few moments later we were driven down to pick up the heater. With the heater back aboard we were disappointed to find that a few parts vital to running the heater had been forgotten about so 1 months after putting our heater away to be fixed, which we were told with shipping would be back to us in 4 days, we still have a heater we cannot use, disappointing to say the least. Especially being told that temperatures can plummet to -30 deg c this far north ...
Having also mentioned we were thinking of aiming towards Hammerfest we were advised that it might not have the facilities we were looking for and that a powerful current could see the relatively short distance of 40 miles between Alta and Hammerfest taking a long time especially with our lack of power. Having second thoughts about taking the boat to Hammerfest they mentioned that there was daily buses from Alta so we considered doing that in the morning. Amazingly they then offered to take us there, have a look around and then return with them, having already been treated to a lovely dinner and company we didn't want to abuse their kindness, but they insisted and being dropped off in the evening we agreed to a 10am start to drive north.
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| We have made it to Hammerfest! |
Making it to Alta we wanted to go a quick walk through the city centre in the evening, the town looked very pretty in the dark and we were surprised to have such relatively warm evenings so far north and inland, Alta over winter last year saw almost -30 deg so we were very fortunate to be having 7 deg.
This morning as planned we buckled up to be driven the 100 mile trip to Hammerfest, it was great to get a more inland journey for a change, passing Sami settlements and also seeing the incredibly bare and barren landscape of Finnmark was an experience of its own. The landscape was much flatter than we had imagined, the huge areas of treeless stony land was very different to the green mountains further south. Hammerfest was a nice little town but as mentioned lacked the facilities we had hoped for and so we decided that it would not make a suitable winter stop, with this in mind we will not take Quickstep there, at least not until after winter. We were given a brilliant whistle stop tour of Hammerfest, including being driven to a great viewpoint above the city. Looking over the boats heading in and out of the town we were fed a pie and warmed by a hot cup of coffee.
Returning to Alta in the afternoon our generous hosts invited us to finish the coffee with them, before we knew it there was pizza in the oven and we were shown round the property and some of the amazing machinery they have, it was worth us noting that much of this was for snow removal... a sign of things to come perhaps! Still overwhelmed by people making the effort to come over and say hi when we arrive in marinas this was beyond any kindness we could imagine, treated like old friends by two strangers, just breathtaking.
We were also very touched to be given a pair of homemade slippers, which will see Amanda through the winter with toasty feet and two lovely handmade fish hook ornaments. Norway has been the dream of a lifetime, and has been not only an amazing adventure for us but also a true education on what is really important in life, the freedom and kindness we have found from south to north will stick with us forever.
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| Amazing gifts, Amanda parted with them for a few seconds so we could get a photo! |
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